Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 20 Howard presents STC fragments
Howard took a deep breath before entering the palace. The scene he had seen before and Rawlslev's words were still ringing in his ears. He also remembered the young man named Bukayo.

The image of Nimrod in his mind became more and more mysterious and powerful. He had received confirmation from Technical Priest Rosicky of the Cech clan, the servant of the Om Messiah, with whom he had been friends for generations, that the cyborgs created by the Mechanicus could not possibly possess such a powerful body and combat power.

[Could it really be the God of the Old Night who has descended?]
He looked at Nimrod, who had his back to him, and spoke respectfully.

"Sir, I have reached an agreement with Sage Kaminsky. Please review it."

Nimrod came back to his senses from the sword duel he was imagining in his mind and turned to walk towards Howard.

"My lord, the sage has agreed to support you in becoming the King of Tezwok, and he is willing to perform the Om Messiah Blessing for you."

"He requested that their existing interests be maintained, and that you resolve the alien issue in the Symphony of the Sea."

After listening to Howard's briefing, Nimrod took the data tablet and swiped it quickly while asking.

"Song of the Sea?"

"That's right, my lord."

"Song of the Sea is just as its name suggests. It is an ocean kingdom dotted with pearl-like islands. It is a beautiful world."

While he was sincerely praising the Symphony of the Sea, Nimrod had already finished reading the 1,503-page document. After reading it quickly, the key points that Superman's brain had unraveled were exactly the same as Howard's summary. He looked at the blond nobleman with appreciation.

"The seafood and a small amount of agricultural products produced by the Symphony of the Sea are of vital importance to Vostronia."

"Recently, due to the appearance of alien pirates, the food supply has been affected and the reserves are being consumed rapidly."

"If this continues, Vostronia will be in crisis in less than three months."

Howard's words were full of worry; he had already sensed the crisis.

"What kind of alien invasion is this?"

"Sir, there are no reports on the alien's physiology yet."

"It's worth noting that the alien's ship is extremely advanced. It can fire a pulse of energy that ignores the Mechanicus's void shields and directly erodes its hull."

Howard's face was serious. He had always thought that the Mechanicus was synonymous with technology, but after hearing what Father Rosicky said not long ago, he realized that there were more advanced technologies.

"It also has a nasty side effect. When the Mechanicus's ships are hit, their shields immediately overload, but the enemy warships can follow up with a barrage of lance fire after completing the attack."

Upon hearing this, Nimrod fell into deep thought, and he immediately thought of the Dark Night Fragments and the Flao people in the previous potion formula.

[It sounds like the alien's artillery and attack characteristics are similar to the Furao's ether cannon.]
"I accept the terms of the Mechanicus."

Even if it had nothing to do with the potion ingredients, Nimrod would not allow aliens to plunder, as the Vostroya galaxy was his territory.

"But I also have a request. The aliens' artillery is powerful, and I need to board them to defeat them."

"Therefore, I need weapons and armor that suit my body shape and can bring out my combat power."

The Sequence 9 "Universalist" was still short of two ingredients for the potion, and the technical capabilities of the low-sequence Beyonders were not as good as those of the technical priests on Mars. Since he had been asked to expel the aliens, he naturally took the opportunity to ask for equipment.

“Such a request is reasonable and in line with the logic of Om Messiah believers.”

Howard thought for a moment and then came to a conclusion based on his understanding of Sage Kaminsky.

Then, a look of determination appeared in his blue eyes.

"Sir, my family has a sacred standard construction template that our ancestors discovered and copied."

Nimrod knew that the Standard Construction Template, or STC, was essentially a complex analytical processing program. Humanity's various technologies were stored within the STC system. Along with the Warp Drive and the human mutants known as Navigators, the STC was a key factor in humanity's expansion beyond the solar system and its conquest of various planets.

STC allows human colonists to maintain a standard level of technology. Without any relevant knowledge, colonists can use all available local materials to efficiently build necessities such as shelters, generators, and transportation.

The user simply asks how the house and drilling rig should be built, and STC will provide all the necessary plans.

The technology of the future human empire will also rely on STC, and the oilmen will even launch exploratory expeditions in search of the sacred template.

"Although the standard construction template our ancestors obtained was incomplete, the technologies it contained, such as the bio-scanner, automated robots, and refraction fields, all reflected the Fender family's blessing from the Om Messiah."

"Aside from the Boleslaw family, the Finder family is the only family founded in Trzewok that has remained standing in the Nest Tower."

"Now, I offer you a copy of the sacred template, the foundation of the Finder family."

Nimrod knew that STCs would exist in various forms, from paper documents and data files to large, complete facilities.

Those lucky ones who unearth STCs usually find incomplete fragments with data damaged due to various reasons such as the erosion of time.

They will make copies to preserve them longer.

Howard now just takes out a copy for backup. Of course, even the backup will cost tens of billions in Martian currency.

Howard finished speaking and pressed his finger hard on the golden lightning of the family emblem on his right chest.

The left chest area of ​​his finely crafted power armor popped up, and he reached out and took out a platinum box. Through the glass casing, he could see that inside was an exquisitely designed rectangular sheet, its surface covered with intricate metal circuits and tiny electronic components.

He placed it respectfully in Nimrod's big hands and stepped back respectfully.

"You are responsible for communicating with the Mechanicus and those nobles who can be surrendered, and determining the time for the ceremony."

"Also, check with your men to identify the families that just attacked the Nest Tower, as well as Bolesław's diehard followers. I want to see the list within one standard hour."

"As you wish, my lord."

Howard left the palace without receiving any reward. He felt a little disappointed, but he soon cheered up.

[I have been under your command for less than one working cycle. Even if I offer family secrets, there is always a probation period.

From now on, I will perfectly complete every task assigned to me by the Master and obtain the Gift as soon as possible.]
At the same time, Ningluo turned on the communicator and switched to the communication channel with Bukayo.

"Bukayo, how's the hive going?"

"My Lord, all shops in the Hive City's commercial district are closed, factories are shut down, and everyone is heavily armed. There has been no large-scale fighting between the various factions."

"According to my speculation, the major families should be more cautious and send intelligence personnel first to find out the situation of the forces attacking the Bolesław family. Most importantly, they need to observe the reaction of the Mechanicus."

“Only a few fools who think they have an opportunity and forces loyal to the Bolesław family will attack us.”

Upon hearing this, Nimrod issued new orders to Bukayo, which were similar to what he and Howard had guessed.

"Conclude your investigation and proceed to the Arbitration Court. I want you to bring back all the gavels, marking them with the names and positions of their respective owners."

"As you command, my lord."

Bukayo didn't know why Nimrod wanted the gavel, but he knew that he shouldn't pry into the secrets of serving the gods, so he didn't ask about the doubts in his mind.

(End of this chapter)